The Unexpected
by Misfit Writer
Summary: Bryce Jameson finally landed her dream job at the Baxter Building, working for her idol, Reed Richards, but a freak accident will change her life completely. Can she, and the F4, handle what's to come?
1. Chapter 1

So yeah, I had to remove my little trailer thingy and repost it, they deleted it in the middle of my grounding, so it took me about 2 weeks to repost. So here it is again, and I swear I will finish the next chapter and post it soon!

Chapter 1: Lifelong Dream

Bryce Jameson had never imagined she would ever enter the Baxter building, which she was now being driven to. Hell, she'd never dreamed of even contacting Reed Richards. But it had been her lifelong goal to work with the amazing scientist. When he and three others had gone up into space and become the "Fantastic Four", she thought she had absolutely no shot.

Yet here she was…getting closer to the very place she had worked so hard to get to…and she had a job there! She was actually going to work as an intern for Reed Richards! The young brunette woman took a deep breath to calm herself. "Easy, Bryce…you don't want to freak out your idol, do you? It's not like he hasn't had to deal with enough ogling fans," she muttered to herself. After the Four had become famous, Bryce had become jealous of all of the women and girls that had fallen in love with 'Mr. Fantastic' and his little crew just because they were…different.

The only thing she dreaded about going into that building…was Johnny Storm. She despised him with a fiery passion. From the day she was born, Bryce had acquired a hatred of egotistical guys that thought every girl would do anything for him, just because he had good looks. The 'Human Torch' was always soaking up the attention that they were given, and greedily accepting any girls that came his way. Which, of course, there were plenty of, saying as he was a celebrity. If he expected her to drool all over him…he was wrong; dead wrong.

Reed and Sue Richards entered the Baxter Building, hand in hand and glowing with happiness. They were just getting back from their honeymoon in Bermuda, and everything had gone flawlessly.

Johnny, who had been dropping a package off to the mailman, spotted them and grinned. "Hey, newlyweds! You two look happy…how was the honeymoon?"

Sue smiled warmly back at her brother. "It was fantastic…everything was just," she paused, looking up into Reed's eyes. "Perfect." Reed bent his head to kiss her, earning a good-natured sound of disgust from Johnny. They pulled back laughing, and Sue smacked Johnny's arm lightly. "How was everything around here?"

Johnny shrugged a little, still smiling. "Quiet, really. We've been working a lot on trying to figure out a way to better control our powers. Nothing yet, but Pebbles and I both have a feeling that it's going to be soon."

Reed chuckled, and Sue couldn't suppress a giggle. "Pebbles?" she questioned in between giggles. "So you two are still at it, huh?"

Johnny shrugged again, his grin turning mischievous. "You know us…we taunt and tease like brothers."

"Except a little bit more rough sometimes," a deep gravelly voice added from behind them. The trio turned to see Ben Grimm stepping out of the stairwell doorway, a wry smile on his face. The newlyweds smiled brightly, and Sue ran up to her longtime friend, and wrapped her arms around him as best as she could. "It's about time you two got back."

"I missed you too, Ben," Sue replied teasingly.

When he pulled back, Sue could see pride in his eyes. He then looked over to Reed, and smiled. "Congratulations, guys." He paused. "Oh, and Reed…there was a message saying Bryce Jameson will be coming in today."

Reed nodded, but the others looked surprised. "Fresh blood? I'll have some fun teaching him the ropes," Johnny teased, rubbing his hands together.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm sorry…you won't be teaching him the ropes anytime soon." Ben looked over Johnny's shoulder to where the voice had come from, and looked surprised. The other three turned as well, and Reed laughed.

"Guys…this is Bryce Jameson, our new intern." He reached forward and shook her hand, smiling warmly. "Welcome, Bryce. I have been looking forward to meeting you…your professor was very adamant about getting you here."

Bryce blushed slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Richards…it has always been my dream to work for you." She looked at him in awe for a few more minutes in awe, before turning to Sue. "Thank you as well, Mrs. Richards; and congratulations on your marriage." Sue glanced at Reed and smiled, impressed by how polite and warm this girl was.

"It is a pleasure to have you here. This is my brother, Johnny Storm, and this is Ben Grimm," Sue introduced, gesturing towards the two men in turn. Bryce gave Johnny a stiff, forced smile and shook his hand quickly, but was warmer towards Ben. She didn't seem phased by his appearance; instead, Ben felt a sort of understanding forming between them when their eyes met.

Reed grinned as he watched their interaction, noticing the same thing Ben did. There was just something that clicked for them…not in a romantic sense…but they just seemed to really connect in that moment.

"Uh, well, how about I take Bryce upstairs and show her where she'll be staying?" Johnny offered sincerely. Sue and Reed both nodded, and Bryce felt herself tense up a little. She waved shyly to the newlyweds and Ben, and then reluctantly followed the Torch to the elevator.

They rode in awkward silence, before Johnny couldn't take it anymore and turned to face her. "Look…I think we got off to a bad start, and it seems like you don't really like me. I'm sorry about what I said-"

Bryce turned on him, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I have worked for this for the past 10 years…and I'm not going to let some egotistical pretty boy ruin that for me. Don't get in my way," she snapped angrily. Johnny held his hands up in surrender, but still stood his ground.

"I think you got the wrong impression…I'm not that person anymore. I will admit I was a jerk and soaked up the limelight a little too much. But I am not the person I was when this first happened to us."

Bryce scoffed angrily, not believing a word he said. "Prove it to me."

Johnny calmed her instantly with a very serious look that had no trace of him trying to hit on her. "I understand how you feel…and I will eventually find a way to prove it to you…maybe it will be by not hitting on you, because you obviously hate me right now. So I'll respect your feelings, but you need to put them aside for now, because I need help disassembling something, and you're the only one that can help me right now."

At that moment, the doors opened, and Johnny left the elevator, with a shocked and slightly unsure Bryce unable to move. Could someone like him have actually changed?

Does anything that has to do with the Fantastic Four make sense? She reminded herself. After shaking herself out of her shock, she silently followed him, a little bit of trust breaking through her cold walls.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Transformation Chamber

Once Johnny had showed her where her room was and she had gotten her things put away, he led her on a mini-tour of the building, with their final destination being the main lab.

As they waited in the elevator, again, Johnny smiled to himself. "You know, I'm sorry for…thinking you were a guy."

Bryce looked up at him in amused surprise, and couldn't suppress a laugh. "It's okay, I forgive you."

Johnny began laughing as well, but stopped himself long enough to speak again: "You know, Bryce does sound like a guy's name, though. The only other Bryce I know is about 250…lifts weights and has a handlebar mustache. Doesn't really look like a Bryce, but you get the point, right?"

That comment was it for Bryce, and she lost it. Johnny watched her for a moment, bent over with laughter, and he began laughing too. In that moment, the two became less leery of one another, and maybe even…friendlier, despite the fact that part of Bryce still didn't trust him completely.

When the elevator finally came to a stop, the two stepped off together, still laughing too hard to pay attention to where they were going, and ended up running right into Sue and Reed. Everyone stood back in silence, staring at each other. Sue and Reed were glancing at each other then between the two across from them, seeing the same thing: they were both laughing like idiots. Something was going on. Sue knew that Johnny rarely acted like that…she didn't remember the last time Johnny had actually talked to a woman enough to laugh like that. After a long, strange moment, Bryce and Johnny looked at each other, and just started snickering all over again, and walked away. Sue and Reed gave one another confused looks, and boarded the elevator.

"So…what do you think that was about? Do you think he's changed or something?" Reed questioned, knowing that Sue knew her brother better than anyone.

Sue thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "No…no I don't think it's that. I mean, he's grown up a lot since this all happened…but he's still his same obnoxious self. Bryce seemed cold to him at first…maybe she just threw him, and so he's taking the time to get to know her and find out why she doesn't like him?" she offered, unsure.

Reed just shook his head and smiled, amused at the entire situation.

Johnny led Bryce to the main Lab, to enlist her help in disassembling the transformation chamber, now that they were no longer in need of it.

Bryce looked up in awe once she stepped into the huge room. Johnny smiled, remembering when he had looked the same way. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

Bryce could only nod as she stared around the room. The young woman grinned when she saw Ben. "Hey!"

Ben glanced up, and smiled back at her. He finished up recording results of some test, and made his way towards the two. "You two going to be taking apart the transformation chamber?" Johnny nodded. Ben's rocky face suddenly turned serious. "You'd better be careful…the storm is still active, so don't go near that part of the machine. We wouldn't want to me one man down, eh, Tinkerbell?"

Johnny smirked, a teasing glint in his eye. "If you say so, Pebbles."

Bryce simply watched the two, shaking her head and smiling at the brotherly antics of the two men before her.

"Bryce, you have to be especially careful if anything starts to go wrong. Tink over here can take a lot…but I-…we don't want you to get hurt, you hear me?"

Bryce rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, daddy, I promise I'll be careful." Ben chuckled, and shook his head as he walked away. Bryce sighed happily, and then glanced over at Johnny. He was shaking his head, extremely amused by the situation. "What?"

"I just can't see ol' Benny as a…daddy," he teased. Bryce rolled her eyes at him, but didn't speak. He led her over to where the transformation chamber was. "That right there is where the storm is contained, so don't touch it," he ordered, gesturing towards the large dome to their left. "This part is what we are going to be taking apart first, until we find a way to completely shut down this storm. If anything sounds or looks strange…more so than it would in here…and most importantly if anything moves without you having touched it, tell me and then get out of the way as fast as possible."

Bryce looked up at him for a moment. "You know, most people would be excited to end up with some kind of power…you of all people should know the feeling."

Johnny looked down at the ground and nodded. "Yeah…I will admit sometimes it's the best thing in the world. But it's a big responsibility…and it can really ruin your dreams," he murmured, glancing almost sadly over at the rocky form of Ben. "I know I was a jerk…most of all towards these guys. And yeah, I'm probably the worst smart-ass you'll ever meet. But the night we defeated Doom, I realized how much we all depended on each other, and how much everyone else depended on us." He chuckled softly. "Sure, I still love all the attention from the women," he added, with a suggestive wink that made her roll her eyes at him. "But it's not the reason I wear this uniform anymore…it's not the reason I use my power. We all have to use them to protect the lives of everyone else."

Bryce stared at him, surprised by his confession. She had always seen that he was still just as sarcastic as he had ever been; but she'd never thought that maybe he had realized that other people depended on him to keep them safe now.

Johnny met her gaze, and gave her a half-smile. "You starting to trust me?" His voice was hopeful, and she couldn't help but feel just a little bit more of her walls breaking down. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought he was, after all.

"A little. But don't push it!" she insisted, poking him on the chest with her forefinger. He laughed, and backed away a little. "Okay…so let's get started." Bryce studied the chamber in front of her, and then turned back to Johnny. "So…how do we take this thing apart?"

"From the inside out," Johnny responded with a sigh. Bryce nodded, and followed him inside.

The two worked for two hours, removing panels from the walls and taking parts out, until they were ready to cut off the connection to the storm. "Okay…if it isn't too damaged from whatever Doom did to it, the storm should be completely contained in the dome. We're both going to go out to the connection tube and start to remove it from the chamber now that everything is stable enough in there." They both made their way out to the tube, but Johnny turned and grasped her shoulders. "If anything looks wrong, get away from it as quickly as you can, okay? Don't worry about me."

Bryce nodded, and knelt down next to the coils and metallic casing that they would be taking apart. Johnny handed her an electric screwdriver, and she began to remove the screws that connected two parts of the tube. Johnny, in turn, began to pull it away. Bryce stepped back so he could pull it away, and move it out of their way. For a moment, she watched him going towards the other side of the room to drop it off, until a loud 'crack' startled her. She turned towards the dome, hearing an incessant beeping alarm. Her eyes grew wide in shock when she saw a great cloud of orange seeping through a fresh crack in the dome, right below what looked like hand indentations. She heard screams from scientists, and the startled yells of Ben and Johnny, but found herself unable to move. The cloud was twisting and swirling around her, every once in a while lacing into her body. Pain shot through her, and before long, she felt everything go dark.

Johnny called out to Bryce in fear, cursing himself for leaving Bryce's side. He ran towards her, but felt a hard grip across his chest. "Let me go, Ben!"

"Johnny, there's nothing we can do for her right now! We have to wait for the storm to ease up, or it could kill all of us!" Ben insisted, feeling just as anxious to help her.

As suddenly as the storm had seeped out, it was gone. Ben thunked forward quickly, with Johnny right behind him, and the Thing closed up the crack easily by pinching the edges together.

"Bryce…Bryce, can you hear me?" Johnny murmured, lifting her shoulders up onto his knees. She didn't respond. Johnny looked up at Ben, uncertain.

"We have to get her to the hospital…and tell Reed and Sue," Ben stated. Johnny nodded, concern evident. "I'll get her to the hospital, you go find your sister."

Johnny nodded with a tense sigh, and lifted the unconscious Bryce into Ben's arms. "Oh, God…what are we going to do…"

"One step at a time, Johnny. Right now you worry about telling the others. We'll figure out what to do when that time comes." Both men looked down at the young woman in his arms, concerned for her life, and feeling guilty in their own ways.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Stronger than Diamonds

Ben sat in a large chair, impatiently awaiting some answers from Reed. He never took his eyes from the young woman lying on the hospital bed, still feeling slightly guilty about what had happened. Even though he had not been working on the chamber with Johnny and Bryce, Ben felt like he should have seen it coming…that something would go wrong. He could have been helping Johnny rather than Bryce.

"Benny," a light, feminine voice called from the doorway beside him. He turned his rocky head, and forced a smile at Susan. "It's not your fault. There was nothing that you could do differently that would have stopped this." Ben gave her a look of confusion, so she continued. "I know that look…you never could hide your feelings from me. But Ben, we all feel like there was something different we could have done to help her. There wasn't. Maybe," she murmured, glancing over to Bryce. "Maybe this was meant to happen." The Thing looked up into his friend's eyes, seeming pensive. After a while, his gaze returned to the young woman, and he simply nodded.

Sue watched him for a moment, before her gaze turned to her kid brother, who was asleep at the foot of the bed. He had moved there from his spot next to Ben about 5 hours ago, when she had seemingly begun to stir. She knew he was trying to stay close to her to make sure that she was okay, yet at the same time was trying to keep his distance because of his guilt. He'd never tell anyone, but in the short amount of time that she had been there, he had become smitten. The thought brought a half-smile to Sue's face; there was something about the girl that she didn't quite trust, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Sue," Reed whispered from beside her. The Invisible Girl -woman- turned to her husband, and saw the look of resignation on his face. He didn't even have to speak for her to know what had happened to Bryce, and she cursed under her breath. "It has altered her DNA."

The couple gazed over at the young woman. "How are we going to tell her? She's been dreaming of working for you…but now that she is, that's it…she won't be able to go back to her normal life."

Reed shook his head stubbornly. "We don't know that, she may be able to hide it. We just have to wait until she wakes up to see what this storm has done to her." He looked over at Sue, who was giving him a skeptical look, and sighed. "I know. But…how are we going to tell her?"

"Just be honest with her," Ben's deep voice responded. Reed glanced back at his best friend, and thought about that for a moment. "She's a scientist, she knows our story…the only thing we can do is be honest with her. It's the keeping her from freaking out that's the hard part."

The three of them turned to Johnny as he aroused from his sleep, and checked Bryce's monitors. "How is she?" he asked softly, his voice scratchy from being unused.

"The same as she's been since yesterday. No change," Reed responded. Johnny nodded, and shook his head to wake himself up. He then stood, and faced the three people that had become his family. "She's doing well, Johnny. It's just up to her to wake up now."

"You said the same thing last night. It's just the waking up part that worries me. It's taking her an awful long time." The youngest member of the Four sighed. "I'll be back, I'm going to get some food. Anyone else hungry?" Sue nodded, and the two siblings made their way out of the starchy, florescent-lit hospital room.

"How are you holding up?" Sue questioned softly as the pair sauntered towards the cafeteria. She watched him for a moment, waiting for his response. She noticed the contemplative look in his eye, and felt for him.

"I don't really know. I'm…I guess relieved that it wasn't me…guilty that I feel that way…even more guilty that it happened to her, and trying to figure out this weird feeling I keep getting about her, Johnny admitted. Sue was surprised. So maybe he would admit it… she thought to herself with an internal smile.

"Johnny, it wasn't your fault. There was nothing that you could've done to change it! Like I told Ben, maybe this was meant to happen." She sighed. "I won't lie, I don't completely trust her…but maybe she's supposed to help us."

Johnny looked up at her, and shrugged. "But why now? I mean…if she was meant to get some kind of power, if she was meant to help us…why now? Doom's dead, and we haven't been actually needed since we got rid of him," he pointed out, referring to the many letters they'd gotten with people begging them for help with things that required the police, not superheroes. Sue nodded, seeing his point.

"I don't know. Maybe-"

Sue fell silent and froze, as did Johnny, when they felt the ground beneath them shake with a metallic thump; An all-too familiar sound that sent a wave of confusion through the siblings.

"What the…" a man breathed from a chair behind them. Johnny spun, feeling a great presence behind him. Sue gasped when her brother lifted about a foot in the air. Before them stood Doctor Doom, alive as ever, gripping Johnny easily by the throat.

"How!" Sue questioned sharply, taking a defensive step forward, concerned for her brother, though he was only showing annoyance to their enemy.

"I am made of a metal stronger than diamonds. Do you honestly think that hot and cold can stop me? It took some time, yes. But I'm back, and I am going to get my revenge," he snapped, tightening his grip on Johnny's throat, and felt a rush of excitement at the sudden look of pain that registered on the young man's face. "On the ones who thought themselves anywhere near strong enough to defeat me." With that, he tossed Johnny back into Sue effortlessly, and chuckled to himself as they tumbled to the ground in a tangled mess. "Then I caught wind of a rumor that there was an addition to your miserable little team, so I figured I'd come meet her."

Johnny picked himself up, and then aided his sister before turning on Doom. "Stay the hell away from her," he growled angrily. Doom gave a bark like laugh of surprise at this.

"Oh, sounds like you've taken a liking to her. She must be beautiful. Was she like all those other little whores that hang all over you, willing to give you everything the instant you ask? Is that why you let her become another little cretin like you? How pathetic."

Sue held Johnny's arm as he tensed in fiery rage…literally. His clothes began to smoke, and his eyes reflected the flames that were building within him. Doom continued to laugh as he began to back away. "You always did need your dear big sister to keep you in line. Too bad she won't be able to for much longer…or need to. I'll leave your dear newbie alone for now. But I will be back."

Doctor Doom vanished around a corner, and the people in the nearby waiting room seemed to sigh in relief. In seconds, a crowd was around Johnny and Sue, asking too many questions for either of them to be able to sort them out. Johnny gave a huff of frustration, and turned to his sister. "Great…what do we do now!"

Both of them winced against the sudden flash of a horde of paparazzi that seemed to appear out of nowhere. As security began to usher the people away so that the two could finish what they had set out to do, Johnny idly wondered how the cameramen got inside, after being forced to wait outside when the team had first arrived with Bryce the night before. Sue thanked the officers, and tugged Johnny along to get their food. They were both silent for a long time, confused and angry.

It made sense to Sue now, why Bryce was supposed to join them. They were going to need more firepower if they hoped to defeat Doom again.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: Breaking The News

Johnny and Sue (A/N: wow…just had a major brainfreeze…couldn't remember that for a minute…) made their way back to the hospital room, Johnny rubbing his sore neck. Reed and Ben glanced up, and rose to their feet when they saw the looks in the siblings' eyes.

"What is it?" Reed questioned softly, concern in his eyes when he noticed the red rings around Johnny's neck.

"We have trouble. Big…big trouble," Sue sighed, plopping down heavily into a chair and dropping her face into her hands. Reed knelt in front of her, and Ben gave Johnny a confused look.

"Our old buddy Vic? He's not quite as dead as we believed him to be." Johnny groaned softly, and sat down in the chair he had been in before everything had changed…again. Glancing at Bryce's peaceful face, he could see that there was no change. He looked up at Ben, a very…no pun intended…grim look on his face. "He's back…in the flesh."

"What!" Ben growled loudly, tensing when he heard a soft groan from the bed. Without hesitation, the rocky man turned and stood at her bedside. Johnny sat up, and subconsciously grabbed her hand, rubbing it and hoping for a reaction of any kind. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when she squeezed back weakly.

"Bryce? Can you open your eyes for us?" Sue requested softly, brushing some sweat-matted hair out of her eyes. Slowly, Bryce's emerald-green eyes peeked out from underneath her lashes, earning a warm smile from Sue. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," she rasped. She winced against the dryness of her throat. Johnny noticed this, and grabbed a glass of water from the side table, and handed it to Sue to give to Bryce.

His sister glanced at him as he leaned back, his eyes never leaving the girl on the bed. Sue noticed the look of guilt in his eyes, and couldn't hold back a sigh. She turned, and tipped the cup carefully to her lips, but pulled it back quickly when Bryce started to cough from the strange sensation.

"How…how long have…I been out?" she questioned airily once the coughs had subsided. Sue placed the cup down, and brushed some more hair out of the girl's eyes, smiling down at her.

"Since yesterday. You came out of it pretty quickly. But for now, you should get some more rest, okay? We'll talk once you're feeling better." Bryce nodded, and slowly drifted back to sleep. Johnny could tell how exhausted she was, and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him.

-

It was a few days before Bryce could go home. Reed had been itching to go tests to find what her power was, but Sue insisted that she get some more rest, and Ben reminded him that they needed to tell her what had happened first. The four of them agreed to give her another couple of days, and then they would tell her together.

The day that they'd agreed to tell Bryce found Reed up early in the lab to keep himself occupied, Sue pacing nervously in the kitchen, Johnny sitting at the table behind her, slowly heating the glass in his hands so it would melt a little bit, and then twisting it ever so slightly to make a strange shape. Sitting back and staring at it didn't help any; it only made his tenseness worse. Ben was sitting at the television, tapping his large foot and making the signal on the screen flicker and the ground shake. It was a miracle to him that Bryce hadn't woken up by now.

As if reading his thoughts, the beautiful Brunette strode into the room, looking bright and cheery for the first time since the accident. When Johnny saw her, he couldn't help but stare. She just looked so beautiful to him…so carefree and happy. He didn't quite understand how she could be so happy with knowing what had happened to her, but he knew that would probably change once she found out that her life would be turned upside down.

"Why is everyone so edgy today? The energy in this room is dragging down my good mood!" she whined playfully, ruffling Johnny's hair. "Nice cup, by the way." The blonde ducked away from her hand and chuckled despite himself.

"Uh…Bryce, there's…something we need to tell you," Sue murmured. Bryce turned to look at her, and the smile faded away quickly. Johnny felt his heart twist, like the glass he held, and he wanted nothing more than to erase the last few seconds and watch her smile forever…so long as she didn't have to hear what they had to tell her.

"That doesn't sound too good," Bryce breathed, suddenly feeling like she was back in the hospital, lightheaded and tired.

"I'll go get Stretch," Ben muttered, standing up and heading for the Lab. Within a few moments, he and Reed had entered the room. Johnny noticed Sue fiddling nervously with her wedding ring, and stood next to her in hopes to calm her down. Reed stood on her other side, and Ben came to a stop next to Johnny.

And suddenly, Bryce felt like a cornered dog. Whatever this news was, it wasn't good, and she found herself wishing that she was back in the hospital, unconscious…anywhere else but where she was standing right then.

"What's going on?" Bryce questioned nervously, backing up until she was in the doorway and her hand was on the jamb. Johnny stepped forward, but she turned her head ever so slightly, warning him not to come closer. He sighed, and remained where he was.

"Bryce…when you were exposed to the storm…well…uh…" Sue began, glancing over at Reed for help. He took her hand comfortingly, and turned to look at the terrified girl before him. He could see that in her heart, she knew what she was going to hear.

"Your DNA was altered…just like ours."

"No. No, you're lying. Please tell me you're lying!" Bryce begged, tears filling her eyes. She figured some part of her had known it would happen the instant she saw the cloud coming towards her…but the rest of her had clung desperately to that chance that it hadn't. She glanced between the Four in front of her, and suddenly ran from the room crying. Johnny and Ben both moved to follow her, but Sue grabbed their arms.

"Let her go…she just needs some time."

-

Bryce fell onto her new bed, sobbing hard. She'd always dreamed of this happening to her…becoming one of the Fantastic Four. But who knew what would happen to her? Would she end up like Ben? Or worse? She knew that she could never go back to the life she'd had before…there was no possible way. Eventually, she'd have to accept the fact that everything had changed for her. Everything.

"What's wrong, is the Fabulous Four not treating their employee right?" an icy voice questioned behind her. She turned, and just barely managed to turn her scream into a gasp. Victor Von Doom…a.k.a. Doctor Doom was in her room, reaching for her in a mock display of comfort.

"Stay away from me!" Bryce cried, jumping up and backing away from him. Doom kept approaching her.

"Oh, but I promise I won't make you cry like these miscreants have. I can make you very…happy," he whispered, running a hand up her trembling arm. Bryce tried to draw away, not only terrified of the man before her, but also not used to being so scared. She had always been strong…independent. It just reminded her of how evil this man was.

"Stay the hell away from her, Vic," a low, dangerous voice growled. Bryce looked up, and let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Johnny was standing in her doorway, his eyes orange with barely contained flames of fury. Ben stood behind him, looking ready to throw Johnny aside and attack their former partner. Reed and Sue were not far behind them. Bryce took a step towards the Four, and gasped when Doom grabbed her and jerked her back against him. His hand snaked around her throat, but he didn't tighten his grip. Johnny took a step forward in fear and fury; and stopped when Doom sent a quick shock through her body, making her groan softly.

"Now see," the man hissed into her ear, "I could have given you so much power. But if you choose to go with them, well, that makes you my enemy. As well as the easiest target."

Bryce's eyes widened, until he shoved her away from him, and she stumbled into Johnny's arms. Quickly, she stood again, and stared in anger at Doom, until he raised his hands. Ben gasped behind her, and she felt herself being dragged away, and thrown into the rocky body. By the time she had regained her equilibrium, she heard Sue scream and Johnny gasp in pain.

She looked up and her eyes widened in shock. Johnny was gripping his chest and staggering backwards. He had taken the hit for her…"Oh, God," she breathed, pulling herself from Ben's grip. The instant her arms were free, he collapsed into her arms. "Johnny, please be okay," she whispered so only he could hear. He glanced up at her, his features taut with pain.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this took so long. Lol thanks for all the awesome reviews! I love you guys! Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 5: New Powers…New Problems

Bryce glanced between Johnny and Victor as she carefully lowered the Torch to the ground, resting his head on her lap. Before she could speak - let alone collect her thoughts – Victor had crashed through the window and out of their minds.

"Johnny…Johnny talk to me," Sue begged, dropping to her knees beside him. Johnny pried his eyes open against the pain, and tried to smile.

"I-I'm okay," he choked, though Bryce could tell otherwise. She knew what it felt like to feel one of his shocks; she herself was still aching from the small one she'd gotten. Yet Johnny, who she knew had been hit before, stepped in front of her, and took it head-on.

"We need to get him to a doc-"

"No!" Johnny interrupted shortly, gripping Sue's hand. "Sue, I'll be fine." The siblings looked at each other for a moment, before Sue finally sighed, and nodded.

"All right, fine…we need to at least get you into the lab so we can deal with this." As Bryce moved to ease Johnny up, Sue grabbed her arm. "You're going to stay in here," she ordered, a hint of anger lacing her voice. Bryce looked up at her, surprised, and saw the blame and fury in her eyes.

Guilt filled the young woman quickly as the others went to tend to their youngest member. Tears jumped to her eyes as soon as she was left alone in her room, and she tried to stand up, only to collapse onto the bed sobbing. She hadn't been with the Fantastic 4 for very long, and she was already getting them hurt. Sue hated her, that much Bryce could tell easily. Ben was hard to read, as was Reed. And Johnny was putting himself in unnecessary danger for her.

"I don't belong here," she muttered to herself, dropping her head into her hands. After a few moments of collecting herself, she stood, and went out to her balcony, staring up at the crisp, clear sky. She positioned herself precariously on the railing.

"It wasn't your fault," a gravelly voice muttered from behind her. Bryce turned in surprise, and nearly fell off the ledge. Ben Grimm began to reach for her, until she managed to get to her feet and regain her balance.

"Yes it was," she insisted. "If I had been more careful, I wouldn't have needed help, and no one else would've gotten hurt." Ben gave her a skeptical look, so she continued. "Sue hates me-"

"Sue doesn't hate you."

Bryce rolled her eyes at him. "Johnny…is he even going to be okay?"

Ben took a step closer to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Johnny will be just fine, and so will Sue. She'll come around soon enough. Don't worry about them. Johnny's tough…he knew what he was doing."

Bryce couldn't stop the tears that jumped to her eyes. She turned her head away from him, so that her brown hair fell across her face, blocking the Thing's view. She pulled away from her, and leaned against the railing. She didn't even bother to stop herself from crying. "I can't stay here. I can't put you all in danger, anymore so than you already are. I'm going to go back home…I shouldn't have come in the first place," she muttered, brushing past Ben on her way back into her room. She grabbed her suitcase quickly.

"Do you really believe that? You don't think that you were somehow meant to be here? You don't find it odd that Doom showed up right after you got your powers?" Ben questioned, standing defiantly in front of her dressers, so she couldn't get anything out of them.

Bryce groaned, and threw her hands into the air in frustration. "So? What's that have to do with anything!"

"Maybe you are supposed to help us. We obviously couldn't stop him with just the four of us. Maybe you're the key to defeating Doom."

Bryce stepped back defensively. "No. No way…I can't deal with this. Do you not remember what just happened! _My _weakness almost got Johnny killed! You think that I can _help _you! All I've been is a hindrance…first the chamber…now this-"

"Whoa," Ben interrupted tersely, "the transformation chamber accident was in absolutely _no way _your fault, you understand? If anything, it was ours." Ben stepped away from the dresser and closer to Bryce, who didn't move. He pulled her to him in a careful hug. "Don't blame yourself for that, okay, kiddo?"

Bryce nodded for a moment, sniffing, before she pulled away and ducked under the man's arm. "I won't…but I still can't forgive myself for getting Johnny hurt like that. I'm so sorry, but I really can't stay here and watch anyone get hurt because of me again."

Ben turned to face her in hurt surprise. "Where will you go?"

Bryce sighed, and shrugged. "Like I said, I'll go back home." She pulled the clothes from her dresser drawers half-heartedly, and ducked around Ben once more to put them in her suitcase.

"And put your family in danger?" Ben questioned, his voice suddenly harsh. Bryce tensed for a moment, a strange sort of fear filling her. She knew Ben would never harm her, but she could feel the hurt and anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Then I'll go…live on my own somewhere. I've got enough money saved up." She turned to look Ben in the eyes, fresh tears spilling over her lashes. "Please, stop trying to discourage me. I've only been here for a few days, and I've already wreaked havoc in the house. Just…tell Johnny and Sue that I'm so sorry, and tell Reed that I'm so thankful for the chance that he's given me. Thank you for what you've done for me. I'm so sorry. Goodbye," she whispered, picking up her suitcase and making her way past the Thing.

"What about Doom? He'll still come after you. You won't have any protection against him," Ben murmured pleadingly. Bryce hesitated in her steps for a moment, and turned to glance over her shoulder at him. His heart broke when he saw the look on her face, knowing that he would never be able to change her mind.

"I can live with that. It's okay. At least I know that you're not suffering on my behalf." With that, she turned and walked out to the elevator. Ben felt fury grow within him, and had to take many deep breaths to keep himself from destroying the room.

-

Johnny rolled his eyes as his sister began to reprimand him for putting himself in harms way needlessly. "Sue! Give it a break, she was helpless, and we don't know if she would have been able to handle that kind of a shock!" the youngest member insisted as Sue cleaned the wound on his chest. She glared up at him.

"Johnny, you could have been killed!"

"She would have been!" he yelled back, finally letting himself get angry. He stood p abruptly, pushing Sue away. The eldest Storm stood as well, staring at him. A small smile grew on her face, proud that her brother was finally growing up and realizing what they were all about.

"Johnny, I-"

"She's gone," Ben informed from the doorway.

Sue, Johnny and Reed all spun to face him. Johnny took a step towards him. "What do you mean, she's gone?"

Ben sighed heavily, and looked at the ground. "Bryce packed her things, and walked out. She said she didn't want anymore of us to get hurt because of her."

"You didn't stop her?" Reed questioned sharply, running for the door. Ben rolled his eyes.

"If I had done anything by force, I would've hurt her. I tried like hell to talk her out of it. We need to go find her, so we know where she is at least, and we can keep an eye on her, and protect her if we need to."

Johnny pulled his shirt back on, and headed for the door. Sue grabbed his arm. "Johnny, you're not going anywhere."

"Let go of me, sis, this is my responsibility. It's because of me that this all started in the first place." With that, he pulled himself out of Sue's grasp, ran past Reed, and headed out to find Bryce. Sue glanced between her husband and her best friend, concerned.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry that it's been a long time. I've been having some computer troubles, so I've had to take a break on my stories for a little while. But now that school's out and computer troubles are gone for the time being, I should be able to get more chapters out. Thanks for the awesome reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Fighting Temptation**

Johnny dropped onto a bench with a heavy sigh. He'd been searching for Bryce for three hours. The only thing he'd gotten from it was fatigue. Sue would kill him for pushing himself so hard after getting hurt.

It didn't matter though. She could be angry as long as she wanted. Johnny had to find Bryce. She was at great risk on her own…and if she decided to turn against them, there would be no telling what her powers might be against them. "Where are you, Bryce?" he questioned out loud, dropping his head into his hands.

The ground began to shake lightly with a steady rhythm. Johnny looked up to see Ben approaching him solemnly. Sue and Reed were nowhere to be seen. "Ben…where are the others?"

"We split up to help you look for her. How are you holding up? You're looking a bit pale," the Thing responded in a low, gentle tone. Johnny was slightly surprised at the concern his partner was showing, and met the man's gaze.

"I'm tired, but I'm more worried about Bryce than anything. She's out there, on her own, and without any defenses. She doesn't know what her powers are yet, so she can't use them. What if Doom tricks her into joining him, using her against us?"

Ben sighed. "Bryce won't join Vic, even if he tells her that he could help her discover her powers. She doesn't want to use them anyway, especially not against us. Reed's been her idol for years; you remember her mother's phone call, don't you?"

With a half smile, Johnny nodded. "Yeah…I remember. Sue was hesitant because of how enthusiastic the woman was." He sighed. "But still…there's got to be at least some part of her that's wondering what's been changed in her. She didn't exactly give Reed a chance to figure it out in the lab."

"Come on, let's go get looking," Ben suggested, gesturing towards Central Park. Johnny pushed himself off his bench, and had to stop for a moment to keep himself from collapsing. Ben put a hand on his back to support him as he swayed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Johnny sighed, nodded, and started walking. "Fine. Let's just go find her."

* * *

Bryce fell to her knees beside a tree, sobbing. She was glad that she'd been able to find a secluded part of the park. She didn't know where to go; she couldn't go home and risk her family's lives, and she couldn't return to the Four and risk theirs. She'd rather die than see anyone else hurt because of her.

"You're pretty easy to find, you know?" a charming voice questioned behind her. Bryce gasped, and spun. "They kick you out after poor little Johnny got hurt?" Victor Von Doom questioned darkly, wrapping a hand around her waist and jerking her against him. "Come with me. We can get them back for abandoning you after ruining your life, and I'll teach you how to use your new powers."

Bryce tried to push away from him, but he was entirely metal beneath his skin, so he didn't budge. Fear gripped her, and her breaths grew short. "Let me go," she pleaded. His grip only tightened, causing her breath to hitch in her throat.

"Why are you so set on being loyal to people who destroyed you? They put you in the hospital; they made it so you'll never be normal again. Yet you are willing to die for them?" Tears filled Bryce's eyes. As much as she hated the man holding her, a flicker of doubt filled her mind at his words. "Join me. Make them pay for what they've done. Help me kill them."

His final sentence snapped her out of her confusion, and she tensed. "Never," she hissed.

Doom smirked at her. "You're such a beautiful woman. I will have you at my side." His hand gripped the back of her neck, and held her head still as he leaned down. She tried to pull away frantically, but his metal grip was too strong as he kissed her. He backed her against the tree, keeping her pinned.

--

Johnny heard voices and then a struggle beyond the field he was standing in with Ben, and immediately switched into 'Fantastic 4' mode. He raced for the clearing in the trees, feeling Ben immediately start to follow him. What he saw both disgusted and terrified him. Doom was pressed completely against Bryce, who was pinned to a tree. Tears were tracking down her face, and she was trying to struggle against him.

Ben growled low in his throat. Doom turned away from Bryce, and immediately released her. The young woman slid down the trunk of the tree, dazed and frightened. Johnny raced to her side as Ben and Doom prepared to face off.

"Get out of here, Doom, and I'll let you live to fight another day," Ben threatened, his fists clenching. The metal man took a single step toward him, and Ben punched him with everything he had. Doom flew back several yards, and lay still for a moment. Ben watched him, waiting for him to get up. "I'm not kidding around anymore, Vic. If you ever touch her again, you'll never know what hit you."

"Ohh, a bit protective, are we? Is that paternal, or romantic?" Ben tightened his fist and took a step forward, but Doom took a step back. "I know when I'm not wanted. This isn't over." With that, he turned and walked away. Ben spun and rushed to Johnny and Bryce. "Are you okay?"

Bryce, who was clinging to Johnny, looked up and nodded. "Thank you. I'm sorry that I got you involved in my mess again."

Johnny and Ben looked over at each other, shocked. Johnny stroked her hair, guiding her head back to his shoulder. "Bryce, we're the ones that should be sorry. This has been our mess, not yours. You shouldn't have had to deal with it at all." He pulled back, and looked into her eyes. "Did he hurt you?" She shook her head. "Bryce, we need you to come back to the Baxter with us. We can't risk something happening to you, or someone else, when you accidentally discover what your powers are. We need to figure it out together, where we can control who gets hurt. Please, if you won't come to protect yourself from this again, please, come to protect innocent people." Johnny looked over his shoulder at Ben, and gestured to his left ring finger. Ben was confused at first, but quickly realized he wanted him to get Reed and Sue. The Thing nodded, and left quietly.

"Johnny…I'm so sorry. I was so scared. I didn't want you getting hurt again," Bryce sobbed, looking down at her hands. Johnny lifted her chin with his index finger, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"I already know that I can survive his shocks. I didn't know what would happen if you were hit…especially where it was aimed. Bryce, it was going to hit directly over your heart. Chances were that you would've been killed instantly."

Bryce's eyes widened for a moment, before she shook her head stubbornly. "It doesn't matter…a member of the Fantastic Four is much more important th-"

Johnny cut her off suddenly with a tender kiss. Bryce was too stunned to respond to it. After a few moments, he pulled back, looking into her shocked eyes. He could see that he'd taken her completely off-guard, which brought a smile to his face. Hell, he'd surprised himself, but it felt right. "Bryce, I wasn't going to let you die, so just let it go. It's in the past, I'm fine, and you're safe, okay? Let's just get back to the Baxter before the others wonder where we are." He stood, and offered her a hand up.

She took it, and he eased her to her feet. Johnny moved to let her go, but she tightened her grip on his hand, and pulled him to her. This time, both parties welcomed the kiss. Bryce's hands wrapped around his neck for a moment, and his draped around her waist.

When they pulled back, neither one moved to pull away. Their foreheads rested together, and they both smiled. "Well," Johnny breathed. "This'll make things interesting."


End file.
